Method and system for providing tactical information during crisis situations

ABSTRACT

A computer-based method and system for storing and retrieving tactical information pertaining to a site during crisis situations. The method and system provides a graphical user interface comprising a computer screen display and a selection device wherein a user may select from a plurality of options to receive desired tactical information pertaining to a particular site in a plurality of different data formats (e.g, text, graphic images, video, etc.).

RELATED APPLICATION

The present Application is a Continuation of application Ser. No.10/190,230 filed on Jul. 3, 2002. Ser. No. 10/190,230 is a Non-Prov ofProv (35 USC 119(e)) application 60/326,537 filed on Sep. 24, 2001, theentirety of which is incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The invention relates generally to retrieving tactical informationduring crisis situations. More particularly, the invention relates to acomputer-based method and system for storing and retrieving tacticalinformation to respond to crisis situations.

DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART

Sadly, in recent times, we have become all too familiar with crisissituations such as the Columbine High School shooting incident whichleft several people dead and many more injured. During that incident,when emergency personnel such as Police, Fire and SWAT personnelresponded to the situation, these trained men and women faced manyuncertainties that significantly added to the potentiallylife-threatening risks that they faced—uncertainties which adverselyimpacted their effectiveness in quickly and safely resolving thesituation with minimal risk to civilians and themselves.

For example, during the initial response to the Columbine High Schoolincident when police personnel approached the school premises, they wereunaware of the safest, or, more significantly, the most dangerous, routeto approach the school buildings and parking lots. For example, theywere not aware of which areas were most vulnerable to attack by snipergun fire while approaching a particular building. They were furtherunaware of key school personnel to contact, nor did they have access totheir contact information. Furthermore, emergency personnel were unawareof building construction and structural information that would haveassisted them to strategically plan entry into various buildinglocations. These unknowns, and many others, greatly increased the riskto those individuals responding to the crisis.

As a particular example, when emergency rescue personnel finally enteredthe buildings, fire alarm sprinklers had flooded the interior rooms, analarm strobe light was flickering, and an audio alarm was loudlysounding. As a result of these intense stimuli, some of the rescue teammembers who had prolonged exposure to this environment, suffered fromvertigo, which adversely affected their perception and balance. Needlessto say, this situation detrimentally affected their effectiveness andposed an otherwise unnecessary risk to these individuals. However,because emergency personnel did not know how to shut off the alarmsystems, these strategically undesirable conditions persisted, making analready intensely stressful situation even more difficult.

In light of the exemplary difficulties and problems described above,there is a need for a method and system that can effectively providecritical tactical information to emergency personnel during crisissituations. Because such situations inherently involve high levels ofstress and panic, it is desirable that such methods and systems beextremely “user friendly” and allow personnel to quickly and easilyobtain a variety of different types of information that may be pertinentto address a particular situation or tactical plan.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The invention addresses the above and other needs by providing acomputer-based method and system for providing critical tacticalinformation to emergency personnel during crisis situations.

In one embodiment of the invention, a system includes a computer (e.g.,a personal computer) having a display screen for displaying text,graphic images and video pertaining to critical tactical informationrequested by a user. In another embodiment, the computer furtherincludes a speaker system to provide audio information to the user. Thecomputer may be a conventional computer known to those skilled in theart and includes, at a minimum, a central processing unit (CPU) forexecuting program instructions and processing stored data and userinputs, and appropriate memories for storing program instructions, dataand user inputs (e.g., a hard drive, ROM, RAM, cache, buffers). In oneembodiment, some or all of the program instructions and stored data maybe stored on a CD-ROM, wherein the computer includes a CD-ROM drive forreading the CD-ROM and providing instructions and data to the CPU. Thecomputer further includes appropriate input devices (e.g., keyboard,mouse, etc.) for providing user inputs to the computer. Such computersare well-known in the art and need not be further described in detailherein.

In another embodiment, a method of the invention includes displaying atleast two interactive windows wherein a first window contains indicia,icons or controls (e.g., html links), which enable a user to retrieve orview information in the second window (e.g., images, video, text). In apreferred embodiment, a first window is capable of displaying, amongother things, a structural outline of building or campus walls. By usinga “mouse,” for example, a user can click on a desired location in thefirst window to retrieve and view corresponding images or video in thesecond window.

In a further embodiment, images in the second window include 360-degreespherical images generated using known digital imaging technologies suchas iPiX™ and IBM Hot Media™ digital imaging, for example. However, it isunderstood that any other known digital imaging systems and techniquesmay be used in accordance with the invention. By using 360-degreespherical digital imaging technology, a user can virtually view everyaspect of a room on the computer display screen, as if he or she werephysically present in the room. In this embodiment, a viewer can “pan”up, down, right or left by dragging a mouse cursor in a desireddirection. If the user desires to view the interior of another room, heor she can immediately “jump” to that room by clicking on an appropriatelocation link or icon in the first screen.

In another embodiment, as the user moves a cursor of a selection device(e.g., a “mouse” device) over certain objects in the room whilenavigating in the second screen, embedded text will automatically pop upproviding critical information about that object. For example, when amouse cursor pans over a door, a pop-up message may indicate, forexample, where the door leads, the material and thickness of the door,which way it opens, and provide the user the option of proceedingthrough the door. As another example, if the mouse cursor passes over anelectrical switch such as a main electrical power shut-off switch, apop-up message will alert the user to this fact. Pop-up messages can beembedded in a similar fashion for any number of objects that may be ofinterest in a particular room, e.g., windows, ventilation ducts,ceilings, flooring, closets, electrical and plumbing details, etc.

In another embodiment, a third window is displayed on the computerscreen which contains a menu of different types of information which canbe displayed in either of the first or second windows, depending on theuser's desires. This menu can include items such as geographic or streetmaps, aerial views, site or campus maps, critical information andtelephone numbers, parking lot ingress video, floor diagrams ofbuildings, etc. In a preferred embodiment, the critical informationincludes information pertaining to school administrative personnel andtheir contact information, alarm company information, communicationssystems information, building construction information, emergencyutility shut-off systems, etc.

As explained above, in one embodiment, the computer may execute programinstruction and process data stored in a CD-ROM for one or more sites(e.g., Grandview Elementary School). However, it is contemplated thatprogram instructions and data may be stored and retrieved in otherdesired formats. For example, it is contemplated that programinstructions executed by the computer may be stored in the hard drive ofthe computer, and data to be retrieved and processed by the computer maybe stored in a central database that may be accessed by the computer viaconventional computer network communications links. Such links wouldinclude those utilized in local area networks (LANs), wide area networks(WANs), the global computer network (Internet or world wide web),including wireless communication techniques and protocols known in theart.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary computer screen display for providingcritical information, in accordance with one embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary computer screen display after a user hasselected a “top floor” icon from a menu window of the display screen ofFIG. 1, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary computer screen display after a user hasselected a link icon corresponding to a “multi-purpose” room from the“top floor” layout diagram of FIG. 2, in accordance with one embodimentof the invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary computer screen display after a user hasselected a door inside the multi-purpose room shown in FIG. 3, inaccordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary computer screen display after a user hasselected a link icon corresponding to “room 101” from the “top floor”layout diagram of FIG. 2, in accordance with one embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary computer screen display showing ahallway just outside of room 101 of FIG. 5 after a user has exited room101, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary detailed layout diagram of theAdministrative Offices in the third window of the display screen after auser has selected an “Admin Offices” icon in the layout diagram of FIG.6, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary computer screen display after a user hasselected a link icon corresponding to an area in the “Admin Offices”layout diagram of FIG. 7, in accordance with one embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary computer screen display after a user hasselected an “aerial view” icon from the menu window, in accordance withone embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary computer screen display after a userhas selected an “aerial animation” icon from the menu window, inaccordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 11 illustrates an exemplary window display after a user hasselected a “Parking Lot Ingress Video” icon from the menu window, inaccordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 12 illustrates an exemplary streaming video display after a userhas selected an ingress video option from the window display of FIG. 1,in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 13 illustrates an exemplary “middle floor” layout diagram, inaccordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 14 illustrates an exemplary “bottom floor” layout diagram, inaccordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 15 illustrates an exemplary display window containing three scenesafter a user has selected a “Primary Parking Lot and Exterior” icon fromthe menu window, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 1 5A illustrates an exemplary spherical image of an “AsphaltPlayground” that is displayed after a user selects a link located in thelower right corner of the middle scene of FIG. 15, in accordance withone embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 16 illustrates an exemplary computer screen display after a userhas selected a “Critical Information & Telephone #'s” icon from the menuwindow, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 17 illustrates an exemplary computer screen display after a userhas selected an “Administrative Personnel” icon shown in FIG. 16, inaccordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 18 illustrates an exemplary display window after a user hasselected an “Alarm Company Information” icon shown in FIG. 16, inaccordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 19 illustrates an exemplary display window after a user hasselected a “Communications Information” icon shown in FIG. 16, inaccordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 20 illustrates an exemplary display window after a user hasselected a “Building Construction” icon shown in FIG. 16, in accordancewith one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 21 illustrates an exemplary display window after a user hasselected an “Emergency Utility Shut-Offs” icon shown in FIG. 16, inaccordance with one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 22 illustrates an exemplary computer screen display after a userhas selected an “Electrical Room” icon shown in FIG. 21, in accordancewith one embodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 23A-F illustrate exemplary display windows that may be presentedafter a user has selected a “Total Main Electrical Shutoff Location”icon in the right most display window of FIG. 22, in accordance with oneembodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 24A and B illustrate exemplary display windows that may bepresented after a user has selected a “Total Main Gas Shutoff Location”icon in the right most display window of FIG. 22, in accordance with oneembodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The invention is described in detail below with reference to the figureswherein like elements are referred to with like numerals throughout.Although the description below is provided in the context of criticaltactical information for a school campus, it is readily apparent tothose of ordinary skill in the art that the principles and techniques ofthe present invention may be applied in a variety of other types ofvenues, buildings, campuses or scenarios (collectively referred toherein as “sites”).

Emergency personnel frequently respond to the scene of incidents andthreats with a minimal amount of information regarding the site. Inorder to overcome this lack of “intelligence,” the invention provides acomputer-based method and system for quickly and easily accessing andviewing various types of tactical information that may be desired byemergency personnel.

In one preferred embodiment, a computer system includes a CD-ROM drivethat accesses program instructions and/or data from a CD ROM to providedesired critical information in various formats (e.g., text, graphics,video) on a computer screen display. As emergency personnel receive anemergency dispatch, a CD ROM for a particular site they are approachingmay be loaded into the CD-ROM drive of the computer. In a preferredembodiment, the computer may be an in-vehicle computer system of anemergency personnel carrier (e.g., police squad car or van) which allowsemergency personnel to access critical information pertaining to theparticular site during transit to the site. The computer system furtherincludes a hard drive, read-only memory (ROM) and/or random accessmemory (RAM) for storing program instructions executed by the CPU of thecomputer system. The computer system provides a graphic user interfaceon the computer monitor that allows users to specify desired informationas described in further detail below.

In one preferred embodiment, the desired information is stored in acomputer-readable storage medium (e.g., CD ROM, hard drive, ROM, Flashmemory, RAM, floppy disk, etc.) and retrieved by the CPU in accordancewith user requests and displayed to the user. In a further embodiment,the computer system includes a transceiver and antenna, and otherprocessors, hardware and software known in the art, for retrievingcritical information desired by the user via wireless communicationprotocols and techniques known in the art. As would be apparent to thoseof ordinary skill in the art, the actual hardware and software requiredfor carrying out the functions described herein may be implemented invarious ways in accordance with desired performance criteria. Those ofordinary skill in the art can readily design such hardware architecturesand create/write such software programs, without undue experimentation,in accordance with the preferred embodiments of the invention describedherein.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary computer screen display that may bepresented to a user for facilitating the retrieval of tacticalinformation, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. Asshown in FIG. 1, a left portion or first window of the display screencontains a menu 111 of various types of information that may beretrieved by the user. A middle portion or second window containsgeographic and street maps 113 illustrating the location of the targetdestination (in this example, Grandview Elementary School). A rightportion or third window contains a site map 115 which illustrates groundlayout and site details for Grandview Elementary School. This initialdisplay screen assists emergency personnel to quickly arrive at thedestination and provides an overall general layout of the grounds beforethey arrive.

If the user desires further details about a particular building or floorwithin a building, the invention can provide this information in a quickand easy manner. By using a mouse cursor or other pointer, or akeyboard, the user can select a “top floor” icon, for example, from themenu 111 and get a layout diagram of the building structure for the topfloor. FIG. 2 illustrates a computer display screen that may appear uponselecting “top floor” icon or link from the menu window 111. As shown inFIG. 2, the third window now displays a top floor layout diagram 11 7ofthe desired building. Within the “top floor” layout diagram 117 areembedded icons or links that may be selected to obtain furtherinformation about a particular room or area associated with that link.In FIG. 2, these links are shown as small circular icons distributedabout the diagram at various locations corresponding to rooms andlocations on the top floor of the building. In one embodiment, the linksmay also be room numbers (e.g., room nos. 101-107) or other descriptorsassociated with each room. If the user wants to obtain information abouta particular room, he or she can select or click on a corresponding linkor icon.

Additionally, in one embodiment, as the user moves a cursor above areasor rooms outlined by the layout diagram 117, corresponding pop-up textmessages may be presented to the user to instantly providelocation-specific information about the particular area or room. Methodsof providing such pop-up text messages that are mapped to locations of agraphic image are known in the art and may be implemented using knownand commercially available programs such as, for example, iPOP ProSensomap™ from Image Intelligence, Ltd., located in Herefordshire,United Kingdom.

As further illustrated in FIG. 3, below the top floor layout diagram 117are further links 119 that may be selected to obtain information aboutother features of the top floor such as utility shut-off information(“Utility Shut-Offs”), Administrative Office Details (“Admin Details”),or details about the exterior of the building (“Exterior”). The links 119 further include links to view a “Middle Floor” or “Bottom Floor”layout diagram for the building. It is appreciated that the additionallinks 119 are exemplary only. Links to any desired type of informationwhether they be in the form of text, graphic images, video or anycombination of these formats, may be provided. These additional links119 allow emergency personnel to quickly and easily identify additionalinformation that is available and to obtain that information at a clickof a button (e.g., a mouse button).

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary display screen when a user has selecteda link corresponding to a multi-purpose room in the top floor layoutdiagram 117. In the middle window, there is displayed a 360 degreespherical digital image 121 of the multi-purpose room. In a preferredembodiment, a user may navigate in this room by dragging a mouse cursorin a desired direction. In this fashion, the user can “look” up, down,right or left (or any combination of these directions) as if he or shewere physically present in the room. In a preferred embodiment, knownspherical digital imaging and software technology is used to provide thenavigational spherical image of the room. Such spherical digital imagingtechnologies and methods of navigating in the images, so as to changethe perspective or directional view shown to the user, are known in theart. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3, the user may zoom in, zoom out andautomatically pan the room by selecting appropriate control icons 123located in the lower, right corner of the digital image. Other knowndigital imaging functionalities (e.g., color enhancement, etc.) may beimplemented as well. As also shown, under the spherical image 109 thereis a sub-window 125 for displaying further textual information about theparticular room or area selected that may be useful to emergencypersonnel.

In a preferred embodiment, as the user's mouse cursor moves overparticular objects/structures within the spherical image, pop-upmessages (not shown) may appear that provide critical information orinstructions. For example, if the mouse cursor pans over a door, apop-up message may appear containing information such as where the doorleads to, material and thickness of the door, whether it opens inwardlyor outwardly, where the hinges are located, etc. The pop-up message mayfurther provide instructions such as “double click to proceed throughdoor into next room.”

FIG. 4 illustrates a display screen after a user has clicked on a doorfrom inside the multi-purpose room shown in FIG. 3. The middle displaywindow now shows an image 127 of a view that would be seen by someonestanding outside of the door, looking into the multi-purpose room. Thisimage 127 is also a 360 degree spherical image and, therefore, the usermay look up, down, to the right or to the left while standing at thatpoint, as discussed above with respect to FIG. 3. As further illustratedin FIG. 4, the middle window further includes a sub-window 129, belowthe spherical image 127, that contains additional information about thearea depicted in the image 127. In the example shown, the sub-window 129contains additional information regarding current location and detailsabout the particular doors shown in the image 127.

If the user is now interested in another room, he or she does not haveto continue navigating through spherical images, which can becomeconfusing, especially during a crisis situation. Instead, the user cansimply return to the “top floor” layout 117 displayed in the thirdwindow and click on a desired room to “jump” into that room. FIG. 5illustrates a display screen after a user has selected a link iconcorresponding to room 101 from the layout diagram 117 in the thirdwindow. The middle window now contains a spherical digital image 131 ofthe selected room (e.g., room 101 of the top floor). As described above,a user may navigate in this image and view the entire room as if he orshe is virtually present in the room. In a preferred embodiment, pop-upmessages (not shown) are also implemented in this image. Thus, if theuser pans over the image using a mouse cursor, for example, as thecursor becomes positioned over particular objects or areas within theimage, pop-up messages may be programmably implemented to appear asdesired by the designer of the method and system of the presentinvention. Such pop-up messages and methods of implementing the same ina graphic user interface (GUI) environment are well known in the art. Asshown in FIG. 5, just below the spherical image 131 is a sub-window 133which provides further details concerning the room shown in thespherical image 131.

If the user desires to exit room 101 through the door shown on the rightportion of the image 131, he or she may position a mouse cursor, forexample, over the door and click once or twice to indicate a desire toproceed through the door. FIG. 6 illustrates a display screen after sucha process has occurred. The user is now presented with a spherical image135 of the hallway just outside of room 101 as shown in FIG. 6. Asub-window 137 provides further detailed information about the hallwayshown in image 135.

In one preferred embodiment, the invention further provides the abilityto retrieve refined layout diagrams of portions of the top floor, or anyother floor for that matter, which may be of particular interest toemergency personnel. For example, if emergency personnel desire furtherdetailed information about the administrative offices, such personnelmay obtain the information by selecting an “Admin Offices” icon or linkin the layout diagram 117 or selecting “Admin Detail” icon 119 as shownin FIG. 6.

FIG. 7 illustrates a refined layout diagram 139 of the administrationoffices located on the top floor, shown in the right window of thedisplay screen, presented to the user after he or she has selected the“Admin Offices” link in the layout diagram 117 (FIG. 6). In a preferredembodiment, located under this refined layout diagram 139, furtherdetailed information pertaining to that area of the top floor ispresented to the user. For example, each room is labeled and identified(e.g., M=mens restroom, W=woman's restroom, N=nurse's office,P=Prinicipal's office, etc.). By selecting/clicking on a link icon for aparticular location, a spherical image corresponding to that locationcan be displayed in the middle window.

FIG. 8 illustrates a new spherical image 141 that is displayed to theuser after the user has selected a link icon corresponding to thehallway and reception area just outside of the administration offices.The spherical image 141 contains all the attributes and functionality asthose described above. Again, a sub-window 143 below the image window141 provides additional detailed information about the selected areathat may be useful to emergency personnel.

The invention allows emergency personnel to access various other typesof information with ease and speed. For example, by clicking on the link“Aerial View” in the menu 111 presented in the left window of thecomputer screen display, an aerial view image 145 is displayed in themiddle window as shown in FIG. 9. This view may be useful, for example,to emergency personnel arriving at the scene in aircraft such ashelicopters or planes. Furthermore, in one embodiment, an animatedaerial video may be displayed to the user by clicking on the icon“Aerial Animation” provided by the menu 111 located in the left windowof the display.

FIG. 10 illustrates that the middle window, in response, displays amoving video image 147 recorded while flying above and around theGrandview Elementary campus. In a preferred embodiment, the video 147 isa sequence of high-resolution still images that supports zoom-in andzoom-out functionality, created using commercial off-the-shelf software.In a preferred embodiment, by clicking and dragging a mouse cursor in adesired direction in the video image 147, various aerial perspectivesmay be instantly viewed by the user. As would be apparent to those ofordinary skill in the art, the quality (e.g., frame speed andresolution) of the moving video presentation will be largely dependenton the processing capabilities and speed, and memory capacity of thecomputer system. Therefore, it is desirable to have a computer systemthat includes a fast processor and large memory capacity. In a preferredembodiment, the computer system includes at least an Intel Celeron™ 500MHz CPU, 256 Kbytes of Cache, 256 Kbytes of RAM and a 5 GByte harddrive. In a preferred embodiment, the system includes an Intel PentiumIII™ 500 MHz CPU, 256 Kbytes of Cache, 256 Kbytes of RAM and a 20 GBytehard drive.

In another embodiment, the menu 111 further provides a “site map” linkthat allows a user to retrieve and view a site map of the desired sitein either the second or third window. An exemplary site map is shown inthe right window of FIG. 1. Such a site map would include detailsconcerning the relative locations and layout of buildings, parking lots,fields, and other areas on the site. Thus, emergency personnel canobtain an overview of the layout and topography of the site at a clickof a button. In one preferred embodiment, a site map is provided as adefault window in an initial computer screen display that is presentedto the user by the method and system of the present invention.

Other types of critical tactical information may include informationpertaining to the different routes/roads that may be taken to enter aparticular site. By clicking on the link “Parking Lot Ingress Video”from the menu 111, a user may obtain various videos showing thelandscape and overall topology of different routes of access to thesite. FIG. 11 illustrates an exemplary video image 149 that may bedisplayed in a right window section, for example, of the computer screendisplay. As shown in FIG. 11, this window illustrates and labels fourpossible routes for entering the campus. A user may then select one ofthese routes by clicking on the appropriate link label. For example, ifthe user selects the link “Main Parking Lot Ingress From South,” in apreferred embodiment, the middle window will display a streaming MPEGvideo 151 of camera footage taken while entering the campus by thatroute, as shown in FIG. 12. Note, however, an illustration of the actualmoving video is omitted in FIG. 12.

By selecting appropriate menu items from the menu 111 in the left windowof the computer screen display, information pertaining to other floorsof a building may be obtained. FIGS. 13 and 14 illustrate layoutdiagrams 153 and 155 for the middle and bottom floors, respectively.These can be navigated and used to view spherical images of desiredrooms or areas as described above with respect to the top floor diagram.Obviously, if a building has many floors, additional menu itemsspecifying floor numbers may be provided in the window.

FIG. 15 illustrates an exemplary display window containing threeexemplary scenes 157, 159 and 161, after a user has selected the“Primary Parking Lot and Exterior” icon from the menu 111. As shown inFIG. 15, each of the three scenes show a unique perspective of thecampus that may be useful in different ways to emergency personnel. Asbefore, link icons are strategically placed in each of these scenes orimages to enable the user to retrieve spherical images corresponding toa particular location or area in a respective image. These links can beseen as small dots in each of the scenes. FIG. 15A illustrates aspherical image 163 that is displayed in the middle window of thedisplay after a user clicks on a link located in the lower right cornerof image 157, for example, of FIG. 15.

In a preferred embodiment, by selecting the icon “Critical Information &Telephone #'s” in the menu 111, the user can access a large variety ofinformation that may be needed in a crisis situation. FIG. 16illustrates an exemplary computer screen display that is presented tothe user after he or she has selected the “Critical Information &Telephone #'s” icon. The display provides a critical information index165 in the middle window that allows the user to further refine his orher criteria to more specific types of information. In the example shownin FIG. 16, the user has further selected “General Information” from theindex 165 to view general information 167 for Grandview Elementarypresented in a right window of the display. By selecting other itemsfrom the index 165, the user may obtain other desired information.

FIG. 17 illustrates an exemplary list 169 that is displayed in a rightwindow of a computer screen display when an “Administrative Personnel”link is selected from the index 165. FIGS. 18 and 19 illustrateexemplary lists 171 and 173 that are displayed when “Alarm CompanyInformation” and “Communications Information” is selected from the index165, respectively. FIGS. 20 and 21 illustrate exemplary lists 175 and177 that are displayed when “Building Construction” and “EmergencyUtility Shut-Offs” items are selected from the index 165, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 21, the window that displays “Emergency UtilityShut-Off” information further includes links to access additionalinformation. For example, under the first listing of information for“Total Main Electrical Shutoff Location,” there is a link, indicated byunderlined text, to the “Electrical room next to cafeteria kitchen.” Byclicking on this link, the user is provided a spherical image 179, inthe middle window, of this electrical room, as shown in FIG. 22. FIG. 22also illustrates an image 181 of a main circuit breaker that is locatedin the electrical room that is also provided to the user. By scrollingdown the image in the middle window, additional critical information maybe viewed. FIGS. 23A-F illustrate further images of secondary shutoffs183, T-1 frame relay circuitry 185, a battery backup system 187, analarm panel cabinet interior 189, an interior generator shed 191, abooster pump control panel 193, a fire pump transfer switch 195, and aheater 197 that may be of interest to emergency personnel.

Referring again to FIG. 21, if the user desires further informationregarding the gas shutoff location, he or she may select the link under“Total Main Gas Shutoff Location=Behind cafeteria kitchen” in the windowshown in FIG. 21. Upon doing so, the user will be presented with awindow as illustrated in FIG. 24A. A top scene 199 of that window is aspherical image of the area outside of kitchen where the gas shut-offvalve is located. As explained above, the user may navigate within thisscene and view images of the surrounding area as if he or she isvirtually present at that location. Under the spherical image 199, thereare images 201 and 23 that provide further critical information as shownin FIG. 24B.

Appendix A attached hereto provides an overview of an exemplary processof conducting a tactical survey of a site in accordance with thepreferred embodiments of the invention described above.

The invention provides a method and system for quickly and easilyproviding critical tactical information to emergency personnel duringcrisis situations. As described above, a large amount and variety ofinformation may be efficiently delivered to emergency personnel toaddress a multitude of tactical concerns and issues. Such acomprehensive and user friendly system has heretofore been unknown toassist emergency personnel in crisis situations. One of ordinary skillin the art will appreciate that the above descriptions of the preferredembodiments are exemplary only and that the invention may be practicedwith modifications or variations of the techniques disclosed above.Those of ordinary skill in the art will know, or be able to ascertainusing no more than routine experimentation, many equivalents to thespecific embodiments of the invention described herein. Suchmodifications, variations and equivalents are contemplated to be withinthe spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the claimsbelow.

1. In a computer system having a graphical user interface including acomputer screen display and a selection device, a method of providingtactical information pertaining to a site, the method comprising:providing a first window on said computer screen display, said firstwindow displaying a menu of user-selectable categories of tacticalinformation; receiving a user selection of one of said categories ofinformation; retrieving tactical information corresponding to saidselected category, wherein said tactical information is retrieved from acomputer readable medium; and providing a second window on said computerscreen display, said second window displaying said retrieved tacticalinformation corresponding to said selected category.
 2. The method ofclaim 1 further comprising: providing a third window on said computerscreen display for displaying a layout diagram of a floor of a buildinglocated on said site, said layout diagram illustrating the location andlayout of a plurality of rooms on said floor; providing a plurality oflinks in said layout diagram, wherein each link corresponds to one ofsaid plurality of rooms; detecting when a user has selected one of saidplurality of links; and displaying in said second window an image of oneof said plurality of rooms corresponding to said selected link.
 3. Themethod of claim 2 wherein said image comprises a 360-degree sphericalimage stored in said computer-readable medium, wherein said user maynavigate in said image, to obtain different perspectives of said one ofsaid plurality of rooms corresponding to said selected link, by using acursor of said selection device to select a desired navigationaldirection.
 4. The method of claim 3 wherein said spherical image furthercomprises at least one embedded pop-up message, wherein, when saidcursor is positioned on an object within said image, said pop-up messageappears in said third window so as to provide further informationpertaining to said object.
 5. The method of claim 2 wherein said secondwindow further comprises a sub-window for displaying further informationpertaining to said one of said plurality of rooms corresponding to saidselected link.
 6. The method of claim 1 wherein: said menu ofuser-selectable categories of tactical information comprises a mapcategory; and said second window displays at least one map illustratinga geographic location of said site when said map category is selected bysaid user.
 7. The method of claim 1 wherein: said menu ofuser-selectable categories of tactical information comprises an aerialview category; and said second window displays an aerial view of saidsite when said aerial view category is selected by said user.
 8. Themethod of claim 1 wherein: said menu of user-selectable categories oftactical information comprises an aerial animation category; and saidsecond window displays an aerial animation of said site when said aerialanimation category is selected by said user.
 9. The method of claim 1wherein: said menu of user-selectable categories of tactical informationcomprises a site map category; and said second window displays a sitemap of said site when said site map category is selected by said user.10. The method of claim 1 wherein: said menu of user-selectablecategories of tactical information comprises an ingress video category;and said second window displays an ingress video illustrating an ingressroute to said site when said ingress video category is selected by saiduser.
 11. The method of claim 1 further comprising: providing a thirdwindow on said computer screen display, wherein said menu ofuser-selectable categories of tactical information comprises a criticalinformation category and said second window displays a plurality ofcritical information subcategories upon selection of said criticalinformation category from said menu; receiving a user selection of oneof said plurality of critical information subcategories; and displayinginformation corresponding to said selected critical informationsubcategory in said third window.
 12. The method of claim 11 whereinsaid critical information subcategories comprise administrativepersonnel contact information and emergency utility shut-offinformation.
 13. The method of claim 12 further comprising: detectingwhen said emergency utility shut-off information category is selectedfrom said second window; providing, in said third window, utilityshut-off information pertaining to said site and at least one linkcorresponding to a utility shut-off mechanism when said emergencyutility shut-off information subcategory is selected from said secondwindow; detecting when said at least one link is selected by a user; anddisplaying, in said second window, an image of said utility shut-offmechanism when said at least one link is selected by said user.
 14. Asystem for providing tactical information pertaining to a site,comprising: means for providing a first window on said computer screendisplay, said first window displaying a menu of user-selectablecategories of tactical information; means for receiving a user selectionof one of said categories of information; means for retrieving tacticalinformation corresponding to said selected category, wherein saidtactical information is retrieved from a computer readable medium; andmeans for providing a second window on said computer screen display,said second window displaying said retrieved tactical informationcorresponding to said selected category.
 15. The system of claim 14further comprising: means for providing a third window on said computerscreen display for displaying a layout diagram of a floor of a buildinglocated on said site, said layout diagram illustrating the location andlayout of a plurality of rooms on said floor; means for providing aplurality of links in said layout diagram, wherein each link correspondsto one of said plurality of rooms; means for detecting when a user hasselected one of said plurality of links; and means for displaying insaid second window an image of one of said plurality of roomscorresponding to said selected link.
 16. The system of claim 15 whereinsaid image comprises a 360-degree spherical image stored in saidcomputer-readable medium, wherein said user may navigate in said image,to obtain different perspectives of said one of said plurality of roomscorresponding to said selected link, by using a cursor of a selectiondevice to select a desired navigational direction.
 17. The system ofclaim 16 wherein said spherical image further comprises at least oneembedded pop-up message, wherein, when said cursor is positioned on anobject within said image, said pop-up message appears in said thirdwindow so as to provide further information pertaining to said object.18. The system of claim 15 wherein said second window further comprisesa sub-window for displaying further information pertaining to said oneof said plurality of rooms corresponding to said selected link.
 19. Thesystem of claim 14 wherein: said menu of user-selectable categories oftactical information comprises a map category; and said second windowdisplays at least one map illustrating a geographic location of saidsite when said map category is selected by said user.
 20. The system ofclaim 14 wherein: said menu of user-selectable categories of tacticalinformation comprises an aerial view category; and said second windowdisplays an aerial view of said site when said aerial view category isselected by said user.
 21. The system of claim 14 wherein: said menu ofuser-selectable categories of tactical information comprises an aerialanimation category; and said second window displays an aerial animationof said site when said aerial animation category is selected by saiduser.
 22. The system of claim 14 wherein: said menu of user-selectablecategories of tactical information comprises a site map category; andsaid second window displays a site map of said site when said site mapcategory is selected by said user.
 23. The system of claim 14 wherein:said menu of user-selectable categories of tactical informationcomprises an ingress video category; and said second window displays aningress video illustrating an ingress route to said site when saidingress video category is selected by said user.
 24. The system of claim14 further comprising: means for providing a third window on saidcomputer screen display, wherein said menu of user-selectable categoriesof tactical information comprises a critical information category andsaid second window displays a plurality of critical informationsubcategories upon selection of said critical information category fromsaid menu; means for receiving a user selection of one of said pluralityof critical information subcategories; and means for displayinginformation corresponding to said selected critical informationsubcategory in said third window.
 25. The system of claim 24 whereinsaid critical information subcategories comprise administrativepersonnel contact information and emergency utility shut-offinformation.
 26. The system of claim 24 further comprising: means fordetecting when said emergency utility shut-off information category isselected from said second window; means for providing, in said thirdwindow, utility shut-off information pertaining to said site and atleast one link corresponding to a utility shut-off mechanism when saidemergency utility shut-off information subcategory is selected from saidsecond window; means for detecting when said at least one link isselected by a user; and means for displaying, in said second window, animage of said utility shut-off mechanism when said at least one link isselected by said user.
 27. A computer readable medium havingcomputer-executable instructions that when executed by a computer systemperform a method of providing tactical information pertaining to a site,the method comprising: providing a first window on said computer screendisplay, said first window displaying a menu of user-selectablecategories of tactical information; receiving a user selection of one ofsaid categories of information; retrieving tactical informationcorresponding to said selected category, wherein said tacticalinformation is retrieved from a computer readable medium; and providinga second window on said computer screen display, said second windowdisplaying said retrieved tactical information corresponding to saidselected category.
 28. The computer-readable medium of claim 27 whereinsaid method further comprises: providing a third window on said computerscreen display for displaying a layout diagram of a floor of a buildinglocated on said site, said layout diagram illustrating the location andlayout of a plurality of rooms on said floor; providing a plurality oflinks in said layout diagram, wherein each link corresponds to one ofsaid plurality of rooms; detecting when a user has selected one of saidplurality of links; and displaying in said second window an image of oneof said plurality of rooms corresponding to said selected link.
 29. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 28 wherein said image comprises a360-degree spherical image stored in said computer-readable medium,wherein said user may navigate in said image, to obtain differentperspectives of said one of said plurality of rooms corresponding tosaid selected link, by using a cursor of a selection device to select adesired navigational direction.
 30. The computer-readable medium ofclaim 29 wherein said spherical image further comprises at least oneembedded pop-up message, wherein, when said cursor is positioned on anobject within said image, said pop-up message appears in said thirdwindow so as to provide further information pertaining to said object.31. The computer-readable medium of claim 28 wherein said second windowfurther comprises a sub-window for displaying further informationpertaining to said one of said plurality of rooms corresponding to saidselected link.
 32. The computer-readable medium of claim 27 wherein:said menu of user-selectable categories of tactical informationcomprises a map category; and said second window displays at least onemap illustrating a geographic location of said site when said mapcategory is selected by said user.
 33. The computer-readable medium ofclaim 27 wherein: said menu of user-selectable categories of tacticalinformation comprises an aerial view category; and said second windowdisplays an aerial view of said site when said aerial view category isselected by said user.
 34. The computer-readable medium of claim 27wherein: said menu of user-selectable categories of tactical informationcomprises an aerial animation category; and said second window displaysan aerial animation of said site when said aerial animation category isselected by said user.
 35. The computer-readable medium of claim 27wherein: said menu of user-selectable categories of tactical informationcomprises a site map category; and said second window displays a sitemap of said site when said site map category is selected by said user.36. The computer-readable medium of claim 27 wherein: said menu ofuser-selectable categories of tactical information comprises an ingressvideo category; and said second window displays an ingress videoillustrating an ingress route to said site when said ingress videocategory is selected by said user.
 37. The computer-readable medium ofclaim 27 wherein said method further comprises: providing a third windowon said computer screen display, wherein said menu of user-selectablecategories of tactical information comprises a critical informationcategory and said second window displays a plurality of criticalinformation subcategories upon selection of said critical informationcategory from said menu; receiving a user selection of one of saidplurality of critical information subcategories; and displayinginformation corresponding to said selected critical informationsubcategory in said third window.
 38. The computer-readable medium ofclaim 37 wherein said critical information subcategories compriseadministrative personnel contact information and emergency utilityshut-off information.
 39. The computer-readable medium of claim 38wherein said method further comprises: detecting when said emergencyutility shut-off information category is selected from said secondwindow; providing, in said third window, utility shut-off informationpertaining to said site and at least one link corresponding to a utilityshut-off mechanism when said emergency utility shut-off informationsubcategory is selected from said second window; detecting when said atleast one link is selected by a user; and displaying, in said secondwindow, an image of said utility shut-off mechanism when said at leastone link is selected by said user.
 40. A computer-readable medium havingstored thereon a data structure comprising: a first set of datarepresenting a plurality of user-selectable categories of tacticalinformation pertaining to a site; a second set of data representingtactical information corresponding to said plurality of user-selectablecategories; a third set of data representing a layout diagram of a floorof a building located on said site, said layout diagram illustrating thelocation and layout of a plurality of rooms on said floor; a fourth setof data representing a plurality of links in said layout diagram,wherein each link corresponds to one of said plurality of rooms; and afifth set of data representing a plurality of images each correspondingto one of said plurality of links.
 41. The computer-readable medium ofclaim 40 wherein said plurality of images comprise a plurality of360-degree spherical images, wherein a user may navigate in saidspherical images by using a cursor of a selection device to select adesired navigational direction.
 42. The computer-readable medium ofclaim 41 wherein at least one of said plurality of spherical imagesfurther comprises at least one embedded pop-up message, wherein, whensaid cursor is positioned on an object within said spherical image, saidpop-up message provides further information pertaining to said object.43. The computer-readable medium of claim 40 further comprising a sixthset of data representing text information pertaining to respective onesof said plurality of rooms.
 44. The computer-readable medium of claim 40wherein: said plurality of user-selectable categories comprises a mapcategory; and said tactical information comprises data for generating atleast one map that graphically illustrates a geographic location of saidsite.
 45. The computer-readable medium of claim 40 wherein: saidplurality of user-selectable categories comprises an aerial viewcategory; and said tactical information comprises data for generating anaerial view of said site.
 46. The computer-readable medium of claim 40wherein: said plurality of user-selectable categories comprises anaerial animation category; and said tactical information comprises datafor generating an aerial animation of said site.
 47. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 40 wherein: said plurality ofuser-selectable categories comprises a site map category; and saidtactical information comprises data for generating a site map of saidsite.
 48. The computer-readable medium of claim 40 wherein: saidplurality of user-selectable categories comprises an ingress videocategory; and said tactical information comprises data for generating avideo of an ingress route to said site.
 49. The computer-readable mediumof claim 40 wherein said plurality of user-selectable categoriescomprise a critical information category and wherein said data structurefurther comprises: a sixth set of data representing a plurality ofcritical information subcategories; and a seventh set of datarepresenting critical information corresponding to said plurality ofcritical information subcategories.
 50. The computer-readable medium ofclaim 49 wherein said critical information subcategories compriseadministrative personnel contact information and emergency utilityshut-off information.
 51. The computer-readable medium of claim 50wherein said critical information comprises data for generating at leastone image of a utility shut-off mechanism.